Managing Algal Blooms
in Lake Erie
Brad Bass
Great Lakes Nutrient Initiative School of the Environment
Environment Canada
University of Toronto
2016-06-23
Science Expo: Convene and Connect - Brad Bass
2
What Do I Do?
• Adjunct Professor in the
•
• Research & Teaching
School of the
Environment at U of T
Director of the University
Research Experience in
Complex Systems
• Urban Lead for the Great
Lakes Nutrient Initiative
• Volunteer
• Teaching & Mentoring
University and Secondary
School Students using
COBWEB
• Policy & Technology
Evaluation and development
for reducing algal blooms
• Landscape naturalization
Page 2 – June 23, 2016
2016-06-23
Science Expo: Convene and Connect - Brad Bass
3
What Did I do?
• Adaptations & Impacts
• Green Roofs & Energy
Research
Conservation; Energy
Planning with Exergy; Semistable attractors in ecology
• Website Development,
hardware procurement and
maintenance
• Manage Climate Change
Scenarios Network
• Chair of International Science
Program and North American
Green Roof Program
• IPCC Task Team
• Herding Cats
• Improved climate change
scenarios
• Improved green roof
research
• Global version of the CCCSN
Page 3 – June 23, 2016
Presence of algal blooms and hypoxic events
have renewed interest in managing
phosphorous loads in the Lake Erie basin
Page 4 – June 23, 2016
The Great Lakes Water Quality
Agreement – centerpiece of action
Page 5 – June 23, 2016
-3-
Phosphorus –increases aquatic plant
growth
too much leads to toxic and nuisance algae
Page 6 – June 23, 2016
-6-
Existing
technologies for
connecting and
coupling above
grade sources
with above and
below grade sinks
DRAFT – Page 7 – June 23, 2016
Far more Potential for Phosphorus Recovery
from Urban Stormwater
Courtesy of Paul Mankiewicz
A new framework for urban development:
Page 8 – June 23, 2016
Layering biogeochemical networks onto city structure
Urban BMPs
FILTRATION
DETENTION
ARTIFICIAL
Inlet devices
Porous Pavement
Monomedia
(sand)
Mixed Media
Native Soils
Bioswales
Raingardens
Bioretention
Basins
Detention Basin
(wet or dry)
Subsurface Flow
Wetland
Open Water
Wetland
Biofiltration
NATURAL
CSO Facilities
Green Roofs
Page 9 – June 23, 2016
Visualizing these Options
Multi-feature
Stormwater
Filtering
Old CD’s
Integrated Green Walls/Biofilters
Floating
Islands
growing zinc oxide,
illuminated by UV light
Din Ping Tsai, National Taiwan
University
Page 10 – June 23, 2016
Integrate Food/Production into
Bioretention Cells
Courtesy of Paul Mankiewicz & Bob Cameron
Page 11 – June 23, 2016
Adaptable Design as Shower
Designed by Robert Cameron, PhD
Page 12 – June 23, 2016
Last Year’s Trip - Floating Islands
Page 13 – June 23, 2016
Modified Design of Biofilter
Page 14 – June 23, 2016
2016-06-23
Sandra Dusolt: No Power, No Water, No
Food, No Problem!
Courtesy of Sandra Dusolt
14
Alternative Design – the
foundation
Courtesy of Sandra Dusolt, Thunder Bay ON
Page 15 – June 23, 2016
Phosphate Reductions
Page 16 – June 23, 2016
1
691
1381
2071
2761
3451
4141
4831
5521
6211
6901
7591
8281
8971
9661
10351
11041
11731
12421
13111
13801
14491
15181
15871
16561
17251
17941
18631
19321
Agent Population
Modelling Algal Blooms
Algae Population over Time: Control Group
250
200
150
100
50
0
Tick
Page 17 – June 23, 2016
Is it worth it?
 Development of policy options to meet new phosphorus
targets for Lake Erie
Lake Erie delivers certain benefits (Ecological Goods &
Services
 What are the economic impacts of doing nothing vs.
reducing blooms
Page 18 – June 23, 2016
Crux of the Problem in film
Roman - "I tell you what I see when I look
out there. I see the undeveloped resources
of Minnesota, Northern Wisconsin, and
Michigan. I see a syndicated development
consortium exploiting over a billion and a
half dollars in forest products. I see a paper
mill and if the strategic metals are there, a
mining operation. A greenbelt between the
condos on the lake and a waste
management facility focusing on the
newest rage in toxic waste, medical refuse.
Infected bandages, body parts, IV tubing,
contaminated glassware, entrails, syringes,
fluids, blood, low grade radioactive waste
all safely contained sunken in the lake and
sealed for centuries. Now I ask you what
do you see?"
Page 19 – June 23, 2016
Chet - "I see trees."
Crux of the Probem in Music
• Joni Mitchell
• Talking Heads
– They paved paradise
and the put up a
parking lot
– There was a factory
Now there are
mountains and rivers
– There was a shoppin'
mall
Now it's all covered
with flowers
If this is paradise
I wish I had a
lawnmower
Page 20 – June 23, 2016
Page 21 – June 23, 2016
Willingness to Pay & Consumer Surplus
Page 22 – June 23, 2016
Water Quality Ladder (WQL)?
Definition
Why is it useful
for valuation?
Sources: McClelland 1974;
Vaughan 1986
Page 23 – June 23, 2016
Determining Minimally Acceptable Concentration
Levels Associated with Different Uses (by RFF)
Page 24 – June 23, 2016
Baseline Willingness-to-Pay for Recreation
Baseline water
quality (RRF
water quality
value ladder
value)
Willingness-to-pay
for beach, boating,
birdwatching
recreation (dollars
per person)
Willingness-to-pay
for hunting and
fishing
(dollars per
person)
Western
Fishing 5.4
11.70
14.80
Central
Swimming 7
28.99
32.20
Eastern
Fishing 5.4
8.38
10.60
Page 25 – June 23, 2016
Non-User Values
Value of
per-person
Utility Loss
(2015
dollars)
Change in RFF
water quality ladder value
Fishing to Swimming
7 to 4.5
50.29
Boating to Fishing
< 4.5 to 3.0
35.84
Boating
< 3.0 to 1.5
22.81
< 1.5
18.20
Worst to Boating
Page 26 – June 23, 2016
MANAGING
• Algal Blooms or Climate change
• Technology
▪ What, Where and How much
– Policy
▪ Regulatory vs Voluntary vs Economic
▪ Effectiveness: Process vs Outcome
– Economics
– Impacts on Social Welfare
Page 27 – June 23, 2016